Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of George Henry Spinks, a master draper employing 6 young ladies, born on the 29th January 1842 in Finsbury, Middlesex (son of George Spinks, 1819-1870 and Mary Fasby, 1773-1842) and his wife Elizabeth Spinks (nee Hammond, married in the October quarter of 1866 in the Depwade, Norfolk district)), born in the October quarter of 1843 in Bognor, Sussex and baptised on the 29th October 1843 in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, South Berstead, Sussex (daughter of John Hammond and Mary Southon). William Henry, a schoolboy was born in the April quarter of 1873 in Worthing, Sussex, his siblings were, Ernest Edward, a schoolboy, born on the 27th June 1869 and Florence Alexandra, a schoolgirl, born in the April quarter of 1871, the latter two siblings were both born in Camberwell, Surrey, Bessie Clarissa, a schoolgirl, born in the October quarter of 1876 and Albert Harold, born in the April quarter of 1878, the latter two siblings were both born in Worthing, also residing in the family home was a cousin, Laura Webb, an assistant draper, born in the July quarter of 1859 in Norwich, Norfolk, in April 1881 the family home was at 21, Warwick Street, Broadwater, East Preston, Sussex. In April 1891 William was absent from the family home at Alma Villas, Hawthorn Cottage, Norwich Road, St. Matthew, Ipswich, Suffolk, residing there was his father, a draper’s commercial traveller, his mother and siblings, Florence, a mother’s help, Bessie, a schoolgirl, Harold, a schoolboy and Frank George, born on the 27th November 1885 in Ipswich, meanwhile William was employed as a draper’s assistant and was residing at 126 – 127, High Street, Holy Trinity, Guildford, Surrey. In March 1901 William remained absent from the family home at 57, Grove Road, Lakenham, Norwich, Norfolk, residing there was his mother and siblings, Bessie and Frank and his married sister Florence Mitson together with her children, Ethel Mitson, born 1901 and Clifford Mitson, born 1899, both children were born in Reading, Berkshire, meanwhile William was engaged as a Baptist minister and was residing at Victoria Gardens 4, Kirkaldy and Abbotshall, Fife, Scotland together with his wife Ada Spinks (nee Salmon, married on the 18th September 1900 at Queen’s Road Baptist Church, Coventry, Warwickshire district), born in the April quarter of 1874 in Rugby, Warwickshire (daughter of George Henry Salmon, 1846 and Mary Elizabeth Wilkins, 1848). In April 1911 William was engaged as a baptist minister and was residing at 4, Park Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire together with his wife Ada. William also had the following older sibling, Emma Louise, born in the October quarter of 1867 in Depwade, Norfolk.
On Friday May 31st 1918 The Loughborough Echo published the following article. – While engaged on duty in a hospital on Sunday May 19th, during a German air raid, when bombs were dropped on the building, the Rev. W. H. Spinks, former pastor of the Woodgate Baptist Chapel, was somewhat severely wounded. He had only recently returned to his work with the Y.M.C.A. on the Western Front.